All The King's Men
by labradorite
Summary: Remus Lupin is determined to clear Sirius Black's name and free him from Azkaban...but he needs help. What will happen when he is forced to contact the woman who broke his heart in hopes of saving his friend? RL/OC --TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED--
1. Chapter 1

**This is my new story! Duh. Hope you enjoy! Review the first chapter, please; I'd like to get some feedback. Let's assume that Remus is a half-blood and well integrated with muggles, so he has modern (80's) appliances like phones and a stereo.**

**Part of this story is based in Paris, so French will be spoken. I'm in French 4 (about to go into AP, baby! Woo!) so the translations **_**should **_**be accurate. If any of you speak French fluently and want to correct me, let me know!**

**I own nothing that you recognize, pretty much. I **_**wish**_** I did, but that hasn't gotten me anywhere yet. JKR is the owner and creator of any Harry Potter references and Mother Goose owns the nursery rhymes, I suppose. I know the nursery rhymes at the beginning don't make sense, but they will in time. Just enjoy the little recap to childhood and ignore the symbolism until I explain them better. Onward!**

* * *

_Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall._

_Humpty Dumpty had a great fall._

_All the king's horses and all the king's men_

_Couldn't put Humpty together again._

* * *

**Halloween, 1981**

"They're…dead?" the brown haired youth shook his head in disbelief. "But…how?" The young man turned to his friend sharply. "How did this happen? WHAT DID YOU DO?!" He suddenly felt like he was going to be sick.

The other young man was sitting across from the first, crumpled on the floor in emotional agony. "I don't know!" he wailed, holding his black haired head in his hands. "I don't know…" he repeated, whispering this time.

It was a long time before either of them moved both hidden deep within their own thoughts.

"You weren't the secret keeper, were you?" The first man raised his hopeful chocolate eyes to stare into pale gray ones.

"No." The word was whispered, but it was like he had shouted it. "Oh, my God, Moony. What are we going to do?"

Remus Lupin felt tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't know," he murmured. "God, Padfoot…I just don't know."

Sirius Black was, for the first time in his life, at a loss for words. He sat up and looped his arms around his knees, staring at the wall, looking at nothing.

"We'll have to make some calls," Remus said softly, always the practical one. "Jesus, Sirius, what about Harry? Didn't you say you went to the house? What happened to Harry?" The questions were flying out of his mouth without any censorship.

"Hagrid came and took him, he said Dumbledore was going to take care of it," Sirius croaked, feeling much older than his twenty-one years. "You can't make any calls until you meet with Dumbledore. You know the rules: the order first, everything else second." He laughed without humor. "I'm sure they'll contact you. When they do, go straight to them and don't tell anyone _anything_ except Dumbledore. Apparently Peter wasn't the only scumbag infiltrating the order…" he trailed off.

Remus looked at his shaggy haired friend for a moment. "We, Sirius."

Sirius looked up. "What?"

"You kept saying 'you should do…' _we_ can do these things. Together. After that _bastard_," his voice shook from anger at the fourth marauder, "after he did this to James and Lily, we need to work together to set things right."

Sirius shook his head sadly and didn't say anything. Suddenly Remus understood.

"They all think you're the secret-keeper, don't they? No one but you and I know that Peter…" He paused, the feeling of loss in the pit of his stomach. "They're coming for you, aren't they?"

The silence lasted centuries.

"Yes."

* * *

**Three months later.**

After Sirius had been taken to Azkaban for the murder of James and Lily Potter, Remus Lupin fell into a deep depression. Every person who he had been close to was gone: James, Lily, Sirius, his parents, even Peter. He had found solace in the bottle and, until recently, hadn't thought it was a problem. When he realized that he couldn't survive the day without being thoroughly hammered he knew it was time to stop. He crawled his way to sobriety sip by sip; he had very nearly kicked the habit. Now getting rid of the tempting bottles in his kitchen was all he had left to do. At the moment he was finding this extremely difficult.

Today he was sitting on his threadbare couch, willing himself to focus on the words on the pages in front of him and not the nearly empty bottles in the kitchen sink. He had made up his mind half a dozen times to go and try to visit Sirius and formulate a plan, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Despite the conversation Sirius and he had had before Sirius had gone to confront Wormtail, Remus couldn't help but think that maybe Sirius _had_ turned to the dark side, and maybe he didn't want to know the truth anymore.

Making up his mind, Remus stood up and let several pieces of parchment flutter to the floor from his lap. Going to the sink, he picked up the offending bottles of firewiskey, mead, and even some muggle tequila, and poured them all down the sink. _It's time to start over,_ he thought to himself. _No more drinking, no more sulking, no more pitying yourself. Time to get this under control._

With James and Lily dead, Dumbledore helplessly busy with order business and Peter being a complete and utter traitor, Remus' options for help on this endeavor were few and far between. Still, he had to try. There was only one other person in the world he could trust with this undertaking and he was reluctant to contact her.

Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed.

* * *

Jaida Durand was _not_ in a good mood. Not only had she ripped three pairs of nylons this morning and because of this missed her daily cup of coffee, she had arrived at the wrong court house (late, of course) because her completely useless secretary had written the number down wrong. Now, several hours later, she was back at her flat waiting for a call from her boss who was surely going to chastise her for being late for one of the most important cases she was handling. To top it all off, today was the three month anniversary of something horrific and terrible that she didn't care to think about but was constantly on her mind.

Cupping her hands around the warm mug of raspberry tea she was nursing, the young witch was staring at the phone, willing it not to ring. _If he doesn't fire me, I'll take on double the cases for the same pay,_ she thought to herself. Tucking a lock of short, black hair behind one ear, Jaida began thinking about how lucky she was to have her job with one of Paris' most important wizarding law firms.

At the age of twenty-one, Jaida had been working there for three years. Receiving top marks in her N.E.W.T.'s from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a fairly prestigious law firm in Paris had contacted her shortly after graduation and offered her a job. She packed up and moved away quickly, desperate to get away from a bad breakup she had just endured from a five-year relationship, and had lived there ever since. The only downfall of this was the fact that she very rarely saw any of her best friends from school.

Now, unfortunately, barely any of them were left to visit. Sirius Black was in Azkaban for betraying James and Lily Potter (who were dead), as well as the fate of Peter Pettigrew (who was dead). Her parents had lived in England, and several followers of Voldemort had found out where they were hiding (they're dead); Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, and Gideon and Fabian Prewett had been discovered working for the order (and are dead). So, after that very long list of tragedies and painful deaths of her best friends, that left…

Jaida felt a lump rise in her throat at the thought; Remus Lupin, her first and only love, was the only friend she had left, and after their horrible split she doubted very much that he would still consider her a friend. She sighed, still staring at the phone. After receiving news of James and Lily's deaths, she had toyed with the idea of contacting Remus. Professor Dumbledore, however, had advised her against this when they talked about whether or not Sirius was the traitor. Dumbledore had insisted that he was while Jaida was unsure. She tried to rid her mind

Their last conversation had been devastating when Dumbledore had told her of the Potter's and Sirius. She took off a week from work (something she would never _dream _of doing usually) and was unable to leave her bed for the entire week. To her surprise, Dumbledore had showed up on her doorstep one evening in November; she was less than ecstatic to see him…

* * *

"_Miss Durand," Dumbledore said with his blue eyes sad and tired. "I have some most unfortunate news. May I be so bold as to invite myself into your living room? It is unwise to linger on doorsteps." Dazed, Jaida stepped aside and conjured up some tea for her and her old professor to share._

"_What could be worse than the news you brought me last time, Professor?" Jaida had muttered, stirring her tea absent mindedly. _

_Dumbledore smiled a grave smile; he got straight to the point. "Miss Durand, as you know, you are rightfully Harry Potter's godmother." Jaida stared at him. She knew, of course. She had been there to witness his birth and Lily had been her best friend at school. "Sirius Black is his godfather but, considering the circumstances…" Dumbledore trailed off, looking awkward._

"_Where is Harry staying now?" Jaida asked, unsure where this conversation was going. _

"_With Lily's sister, Petunia," Dumbledore said reluctantly. "I am so sorry to have to tell you this, Jaida, but you cannot evoke your right as godmother and take Harry Potter into your care." Jaida opened her mouth to argue but Dumbledore cut her off. "It would be extremely unwise for you to do so. Because of certain charms I have bestowed upon him, Harry is much safer with his aunt and uncle than anywhere else."_

"_Have you _met_ Petunia and Vernon?" Jaida practically shouted. "They're completely awful, they—"_

"_I am fully aware of their…circumstances," Dumbledore interrupted. "There are things about this awful situation that even _I _don't understand, Miss Durand. I am so very sorry; I know you were hoping to be able to raise Harry here in France…"_

_Jaida blinked, angry at the tears that had welled up in her eyes. Brushing one away angrily she spoke quietly. "Why are you really here, professor?" Dumbledore looked up in surprise. "We both know you could have sent anyone from the order to tell me this. There was something else you needed to talk to me about that you didn't want to get into the wrong hands."_

_Dumbledore smiled dryly. "You are every bit as quick as you were at school, Miss Durand. You are correct; this is not all I have come to talk about." Jaida nodded, encouraging him to continue. "As you very well know, we have a traitor in the Order of the Phoenix. That being said, I am extremely worried that you are in danger. I am here to urge you to take refuge with the order."_

_Jaida stared. "Why would I be in danger?" She asked slowly._

_Dumbledore didn't answer right away. He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully. "The followers that call themselves Death Eaters found your parents very quickly, Jaida. I am sure that they know you are in the order—"_

"_Was," Jaida corrected quickly. "I _was_ in the order."_

"_That you _were_ in the order, then," Dumbledore said, smelling defeat. "We have brought many people into hiding; it would be so simple for you to just disappear. I know you are devoted to your job and have settled down here in Paris, but—"_

"_I can't leave, professor," Jaida interrupted again. "I have my whole life here now. My job and the life I developed here in Paris are all I have now. I'm not in the order, my entire family and group of friends are gone…this is all I have. I can't just abandon it for a group that I dropped allegiance to two years ago."_

_Dumbledore looked at her, his eyes piercing. "You're sure?"_

"_Very."_

"_I can't truthfully say that I expected anything different. You are one of a kind, Jaida Durand. Please remember that my door is always open, should you need anything. If you decide you would like to accept my offer, you need only send word." Dumbledore stood and went to the door and stood in the doorway. _

"_Thank you, sir. I appreciate the offer." Jaida shook his outstretched hand and waved as he walked away and disappeared on the spot. Jaida closed the door and slumped down it, frowning. "At least life can't get any worse," she reasoned aloud._

* * *

Jaida jumped from her reverie as her phone rang loudly. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself and apply her best French accent, she reached out and picked up the heavy receiver.

"Âllo?"

"Acceptez-vous un coup de fil pour Remus Lupin au Londre, Angleterre?"

"I…what?" Jaida was confused. _What in the world is Remus doing calling me?!_

The robotic voice didn't comprehend reluctance to talk to an ex-boyfriend.

"Acceptez-vous un coup de fil pour Remus Lupin—"

"Oui, je suppose…" Jaida interrupted the robotic voice reluctantly.

A small click indicated that she and Remus were alone on the line. Neither one spoke for several seconds.

"Hey, Jade," Remus' deep, soothing voice finally vibrated through the phone cords. Jaida felt herself being pulled back to seventeen again.

"Hey, Remus," Jaida answered. "Um…why are you calling me collect?" Remus didn't answer right away. "Remus?"

"I need your help, Jade," Remus ignored her question. Jaida felt her chest constrict, willing herself not to get caught up in her memories of him. She could still smell the musky, forest scent that was uniquely Remus and practically felt him close his eyes and sigh. "It's about Sirius."

* * *

**A/N: Je voudrais feedback, s'il vous plaît? Est-ce que vous aimez mon Franglais? Je vous remercie de lecture! Au revoir! **


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is dedicated to the hardcore brownie I'm eating while writing this. Can anyone figure out the significance of the nursery rhymes?**

**So, I've decided that if I use French dialogue for actual sentences I'll throw in the English translation at the end in (bold), just to make your life easier. I know, I know, I'm much too kind.**

**Not much else to say here but my usual whore-y review requests ;) **

* * *

_Good night, sleep tight,  
Wake up bright  
In the morning light  
To do what's right  
With all your might._

* * *

"_Jade! Jade, wait up!" Remus' voice shook Jaida from her reverie as she walked slowly around the lake. She looked up to see him running towards her; as he approached she realized how very much she loved him and how very hard it was going to be to do what she was planning._

"_Why'd you run out of dinner so fast?" Remus asked, pulling her down to sit next to him against a tree. "Aren't you happy? We're done with Hogwarts! We're official alumnus! We have amazing things to look forward to!" _

"_Remus…" Jaida began, not able to look at him. She felt him still next to her. She _never _called him Remus unless she was angry with him._

"_What is it, Jade?" Using one finger he lifted her chin to look at her face. She wouldn't meet his eyes._

"_Remus, I'm sorry. I can't be with you anymore. We have to break up."_

_Silence._

_She finally met his eyes and saw they were filled with anger. "What the hell are you on about?!" he exclaimed, sorrow and rage in his voice._

"_I'm sorry," Jaida pleaded. "Someday you'll understand, Remus. I promise you—"_

_But he had gotten up and stormed away from her; Jaida's blue eyes filled with tears as she watched her love walk out of her life forever. _

* * *

"It's about Sirius."

Jaida frowned into the receiver of her phone. She was suddenly wishing she hadn't accepted this call. "What about Sirius?" she asked tersely.

He didn't answer her question. "So, you're a lawyer now? That's wonderful, Jade. You got your dream job." Something in his voice concerned Jaida; he was being much too casual for someone talking to the person who broke their heart for the first time in years.

"Yeah," she answered slowly. "Though, I might not have a job if I don't get off the phone soon. My boss was going to call me tonight and if I don't take his call he's going to fire me. I'm sorry, Remus. I have to g—"

"Call me back." Remus interrupted quickly. Without letting her reply, he hung up the phone. Jaida stared at the phone in surprise. Setting the receiver down gently and immediately after she did it rang again. Starting a little, she sighed and prepared herself for her boss's yelling.

"Âllo?"

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Durand. C'est Jean Apolline." **(Hello, Ms. Durand. This is John Apolline) **The curt, professional voice of her boss replied. Jaida felt her hands begin to shake with apprehension.

"Bonsoir, Monsieur. Ça va?" **(Good evening, sir. How are you?) **she asked politely.

"Bien." **(Good.) **he answered quickly. "Est-ce que vous voulez parler en anglais?" **(Do you want to speak in English?) **

"Yes, sir, merci," Jaida answered gratefully. Though her boss was extremely formal he was also very considerate of his employees; being aware that French was her second language he often courteously offered to speak in English with her to prevent possible confusion.

"Jaida, first of all I want to say that I am pleased with your tact. I know it must have taken great courage to call me yourself to tell me about your error this morning and I wish more of my employees used such diplomacy." His voice was stern even in praise.

"Yes, sir. I felt it best to alert you without you having to hear it from a client."

"You are extremely correct. Despite this you are still at fault for your judgment this morning. I assume you are aware of how important this client is to Themis Incorporated. Your tardiness today could have cost us a lot of money, Ms. Durand. I trust you won't let it happen again?"

"No, sir. I assure you it will never happen again." Jaida breathed a sigh of relief. _He isn't firing me! _

"Thank you, Ms. Durand. Bonne nuit." **(Good night.) **Jaida heard a light _click_ that signaled the severing of the connection. Apparently no one wanted to hear her goodbyes tonight. Still, Jaida felt like dancing; she settled for downing the rest of her tea and changing into her favorite pajamas.

About an hour later she remembered she had to call Remus. She was hesitant to start a connection with him again, even briefly. Their breakup had been awful, especially for her. She hadn't wanted to end the wonderful relationship they had—it had been out of necessity. At least, that's what she told herself.

_You had good reasons to end it, _she told herself firmly. _Still…_she couldn't deny the affect he had on her, even after all these years. She knew it was a bad idea to call him: her feelings had _barely _diminished after four years and she didn't want to fall again.

With a small sigh she picked up the phone and listened to the dial tone. _One little call won't kill you._

* * *

Remus was lying in bed waiting for the phone to ring. Usually he wasn't this desperate. Today, however…

To his relief he heard the phone ring only an hour after he had hung up with Jaida. Picking up the vibrating receiver he gave himself a mental shake and answered with a quiet "Hello?"

"What about Sirius?" Jaida's voice asked. He smiled to himself: she hadn't changed a bit.

"You're as blunt as you were four years ago. Have you changed at all?" Remus answered, avoiding her frank question.

"I speak French now," she answered, a smile in her voice. Remus couldn't help but savor the soft purr of her voice, letting it pull him back. _Stop, _he told himself. _She broke your heart, _he reminded himself fiercely. _She could do it again. _

Remus laughed lightly. "Are you enjoying France?"

"It's different. I was terrified at first but I'm used to it now. I never expected to end up here." Remus frowned at her words.

"No, no I didn't expect you to end up there, either." Jaida didn't answer. Remus knew he shouldn't get into old relationship stuff but he couldn't help himself. Part of his reason for calling was about Sirius and another part of him wanted answers that only Jaida could give him.

"Why did you call me, Remus?" Jaida asked tightly. Remus sighed. If he knew anything about Jaida Durand, he knew she didn't like being cornered. He decided to be honest with her right off the bat.

"I believe Sirius is innocent, Jade. And I want you to help me prove it."

* * *

_When Jaida first felt the signs of pregnancy she came up with a dozen excuses to avoid the inevitable. Her sore breasts were simply because she fell out of bed the other day. She was exhausted and dizzy because she hadn't been sleeping well. After missing her monthly stains for the second time in a row, however, she finally took a pregnancy potion. To her horror and delight at the same time, the potion smoked green. She was pregnant with Remus Lupin's child._

_At first she was thrilled. She longed to feel the baby kick inside of her and to tell Remus and see the look of joy on his face. She wanted to lie in bed with her future husband next to her with his hand on her belly, telling her how much he adored her. _

_Shortly after her discovery, however, Dumbledore approached her and several others about joining a secret group called the Order of the Phoenix. Everyone else joined enthusiastically and immediately while Jaida was reluctant to agree right away. She knew that joining the Order would mean dangerous and possibly fatal consequences and she was worried about injuring the child growing within her. She hoped that she could have the child while she and Remus refrained from joining the Order right away and live separately, away from danger. Then, after the child was older, the pair could join the Order and their friends in the campaign against Voldemort._

_Remus, however, was eager to join in the fight without delay. He was so enthusiastic and wholehearted about joining the Order straight out of school that she couldn't bring herself to tell him about the baby. She didn't want to stifle his dreams (he was a werewolf, after all. The Order was the only job he had lined up) and she didn't want to be so desperately in love with someone who could be killed at any moment. Therefore, she made the ultimate decision. To save the baby and to save herself, she knew what she had to do._

* * *

**A/N: So, when writing this, I began to wonder about Jaida's sanity. Who in their right mind would break up with Remus?! I certainly wouldn't. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Reviews? Please?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took so long, everyone! In addition to a family emergency, I'm working on my other fic **_**A Howl and A Song, **_**so I'm posting to that one first.**

**Hmm…where did we leave off? Oh yes, Jaida had just proven her insanity and broken up with Remus because she was pregnant. Fabulous! Onward!**

**Props to ****FunkyKiwi for being French and therefore, awesome. I hope that you'll continue to help me with my grammatically-sad French!**

**I'm not getting any e-mails for alerts or PM's or anything, anyone else having trouble? It's **_**really **_**annoying.**

* * *

_Birds of a feather flock together,  
And so will pigs and swine;  
Rats and mice will have their choice,  
And so will I have mine._

* * *

Jaida let out a strangled bubble of laughter as she took in Remus' words. "You want me to _what?_" she asked skeptically, extending her telephone cord as far as it would go to her kitchen as she got herself a glass of water.

"I want you, using your training as a lawyer, to help me prove Sirius is innocent," Remus' request vibrated through the telephone lines and Jaida didn't answer. She merely stared at the phone as she thought this through quickly. She was a lawyer; surely she knew _some _way to deal with a situation like this.

_Why _shouldn't _I do this? _She asked herself warily, trying to think quickly as Remus waited for a response. _Because I don't want to get pulled back to be with Remus? _But that wasn't true. She wanted to be with Remus more than anything; it was simply self-preservation that kept her from apparating to his flat and begging him to take her back._ Because if I fail, _she realized suddenly, _he will never forgive me. _

"Jade!" Remus' voice sounded annoyed. "Yes or no, Jade. Will you help me?"

"Why me?" Jaida asked, stalling for more time to make her decision. "Of all the lawyers in the world, why pick one that lives in _France _and hasn't spoken to Sirius in nearly four years?"

This time it was Remus who didn't answer. She could practically hear him frowning at her question. "Because," Remus answered slowly. "Because I didn't pick a _lawyer, _Jaida, I picked _you._ The fact that you're a lawyer is just a plus."

Jaida felt her mouth drop open a little as she took in his declaration. "Oh…" was all she could muster for a response. Remus chuckled a little.

"So," he said, back to business. "Yes or no?" Jaida felt her chest contract and her heart beat faster. Before she could change her mind, she listened to her heart instead of her head.

"Yes."

* * *

"_Remus," Lily said, her green eyes sparkling with the joy of playing matchmaker. "Meet my best friend, Jaida Durand." Remus moved forward to the laughing girl and extended his hand, taking her in._

"_Remus Lupin," he said, looking into the thirteen year-olds luminous blue eyes. She was pretty cute, he observed objectively, with her long black hair that reached to her waist and unblemished heart shaped face._

"_Jaida Durand," she answered, smiling shyly. "I know we're in the same house but I barely know you at all," she observed, dropping his hand and pulling her long hair in a quick pony tail. _

"_I know," he answered, acutely aware of Lily bouncing on the balls of her feet in her eagerness next to him. "I mean, I've seen you at meals and stuff but—"_

"_Isn't there something you wanted to ask her, Remus?" Lily asked loudly and quickly, staring at him. He laughed nervously and Jaida looked a little confused. Apparently Lily hadn't told her why she was being introduced to the young marauder._

"_Well, I was going to do this a little more tactfully, but since Lily is in such a hurry…"_

"_He wants to ask you to Hogsmeade this weekend!" Lily burst out, clapping her hands in joy. Remus moaned and Jaida stared at her crazy friend._

_Jaida laughed lightly and looked to Remus apprehensively. "Should I tell Lily I accept or you?" she joked. Lily squealed next to her and caught them both in a tight group hug. Awkward. _

"_I'll just leave you two alone now," she gushed, walking away quickly. She turned and clasped her hands together, grinning. "You two will be _very _happy together if I do say so myself!"_

_The two young teens watched their mutual friend walk away, laughing to themselves. "Tell me why we're friends with her again?" Jaida asked while still watching her fanatical red haired friend. _

"_Because she brought us together, of course," Remus said quietly. Jaida turned to him with a small smile and moved closer to him. _

"_Well, Rem," she said. Remus smiled at the way the endearment sounded so natural from her lips. "Want to go work on Slughorn's essay?" He nodded and the pair headed back to the magnificent castle._

_Timidly, as they walked, he took her hand in his. They fit perfectly, like they belonged there, intertwined, forever._

* * *

"Well, first things first, we have to actually meet face to face," Jaida analyzed, sitting back on her couch and sliding on her reading glasses. "When's good for you?"

"Anytime, really," Remus answered. "You're the one with the busy schedule, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she pulled out her muggle date book and opened it, frowning at all of the writing on the days to come. "I barely have any time free until the end of March…"

"What about right now?" he interjected quickly. "We can get started right now so we can do work whenever we're free and touch base at the end of March?" Jaida looked at the clock warily. She wasn't prepared to see Remus (after four freaking years) for the first time _tonight_. Hell, she could barely talk to him without hyperventilating.

"I dunno…" she hedged. "My flat is hideously dirty right now and I don't have any food or anything—"

"You know I don't care about that," Remus insisted. Apparently he _really _wanted to see her tonight. "I really think we should get started now. Who knows how long it'll take to get everything sorted? Plus, I'd love to catch up…" he drifted off and waited for her answer.

"Okay," sighed Jaida. "When can you be here?"

"Whenever you're ready for me."

"Give me five minutes," she grumbled in defeat. Remus' deep laugh sent chills up her spine.

"You'll never change, Jade."

* * *

"_Why didn't you tell me?" Jaida said softly, sadly. Remus was thrown by her tone of voice; he'd expected her to be angry, not sad. He used a finger to lift her chin and look into her eyes. To his horror, tears were falling from them and he wiped her soft cheek, kissing them away._

"_I didn't want you to hate me, Jade," Remus answered gently, taking her hands with his. She allowed him to pull her into a tight embrace as she sighed. She _hated _crying; he knew that. _She must be very upset, _he thought to himself, _and rightfully so. _He sighed. How could he make her understand?_

"_You should have known I wouldn't hate you," Jaida pulled back to look into the eyes of her boyfriend, lover, best friend, confidante. "You should have _known_!" She was angry now and, weirdly enough, Remus felt relieved. Angry Jaida he could deal with. It happened often enough. Sad Jaida, he could barely look at her long enough to try and comfort her. It killed him for her to be sad._

"_Jade, you know I didn't do this to hurt you," Remus explained, unsure how to best go about this. "I _don't _keep things from you, you know that!"_

"_Except this," snarled Jaida, standing up and making her way towards the door. "You kept this from me for our entire relationship, Remus. The most important thing of your life and you couldn't even tell _me_?! And if you couldn't bring yourself to trust me enough to tell me this—"_

"_It has nothing to do with trust!" Remus interjected; he was getting mad now. He knew she would be angry, but he expected her to at least hear him out. "Yeah, I'm a werewolf, and it sucks, but it isn't the most important thing of my life!" Jaida laughed without humor._

"_If you couldn't bring yourself to trust me enough to tell me that you're a werewolf, Remus," she stared into his eyes as tears threatened to spill over again. "Then how can I trust that you aren't keeping other things from me?" As he opened his mouth to deny this, she continued on. "You know I don't have a problem with what you are, Remus. I have a problem with secrecy. This _is_ the most important thing in your life, and I am sick to my stomach that you didn't tell me sooner."_

"_For God's sake, Jaida, listen to me! It ISN'T the most important thing in my life!!"_

"_Then what is?!" she was shaking with anger now and she longed to run from the room. "What's more important that being a WEREWOLF, for crying out loud?!"_

"_YOU!" Remus exploded. Jaida opened her mouth in shock. "YOU'RE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE!" _

* * *

Jaida was shaking as she paced her apartment nervously, waiting for Remus to arrive. The five minutes she requested wasn't to tidy up or change clothes, it was to calm herself down.

"It's okay," she told herself aloud, running a comb through her pixie cut hair. "It's okay. He's just coming to talk to you about Sirius. Relax. It's fine." Try as she might, she couldn't calm her eccentric nerves. She pivoted fretfully until she heard a soft knock at her front door. She realized then that she hadn't given him her address.

She walked to the front door and paused, taking in a deep breath. It was going to hurt to see him again. A _lot. _She had to prepare herself first. Twisting on the brass knob, she took yet another deep breath and opened the door.

Jesus, he looked better than she remembered. Despite his ragged robes and the slightly frantic look in his eyes, she had to physically restrain herself from leaping into his arms and staying there forever.

"Rem," she breathed. She saved his eyes for last; she adored the warm, chocolate color of his eyes that betrayed every emotion he felt. It had been the first thing she fell in love with about him.

His deep voice sent tremors through her body as he replied to her anticlimactic greeting. "Jade."

When the door had swung open, Remus thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. Now, standing in the doorway, he was almost certain of it. Jaida looked amazing—and almost exactly the same. Despite her drastically shorter hair, her tiny stature and beautiful features made his throat tighten almost painfully. He had to hold himself back from jumping on her.

"You look good," she said. Her voice sounded the same, too. Like delicate bells chiming. He thought he was going to pass out.

"So do you," he answered, stepping in slightly from the doorway. She moved aside as he walked in and she closed the door behind him. "You cut your hair."

She ruffled her feathered hair distractedly. "Yeah," she said, leading him onto the couch. "Yeah, it's easier to deal with when I have to get up so early for cases." He nodded in understanding.

As she sat down next to him on the couch, Remus thought he might just explode. _Is she trying to kill me?! _The very scent of her sent chills through his body. He realized then that he couldn't take it anymore. Throwing all logic and tact out the window, he quickly leaned forward and captured her perfect pink lips with his own.

* * *

**A/N: Uh oh, I wonder how Jaida is going to react to that! ;) Reviews, please! I'd like to get some more feedback on how people are liking Jaida!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, it's been a long time! Sorry about that, family first, blah blah blah. So we left off with Remus gasp kissing the lovely Jaida, who I would venture to guess won't react all that well to it. But hey, what do I know? I'm just the author ;)**

**Let the games begin!**

* * *

_Star light, star bright,  
First star I see tonight,  
I wish I may, I wish I might,  
Have the wish I wish tonight._

* * *

Whatever Jaida had expected Remus to do sitting next to her on that couch, it wasn't this. _No, _she said over and over again in her head. _No, what am I doing? Stop it! _But she couldn't. The sweet flavor of his lips…the gentle stroke of his tongue…the soft caress of his hands…her mind told her to throw him out of her apartment but her heart told her to rip off her clothes and tackle him to the ground.

Unthinking, she moaned softly against his lips and urged Remus forward, slipping her hands around his scarred neck. "Remus," she whispered against his kiss. His name coming from her lips seemed to jerk him into reality because suddenly, he stilled. She froze in response. He pulled away slowly to look into her eyes and she was surprised to see confusion and slight anger in them; wasn't _he _the one that kissed _her_?

"Shit, Jaida," he said abruptly, pulling away further to get up from the couch and pace. "I didn't mean for that to happen, honestly I didn't," he said, wringing his hands. She felt rather affronted and immediately tried to hide her pained expression.

"I know, Rem, of course you didn't, I shouldn't have…"

"No, you shouldn't have." He stated fiercely, his dark eyes dangerous. Jaida almost whimpered at his expression. "Look, can we just forget that happened and get to work?" Their eyes met for an instant as his cold words stabbed at her heart.

"Sure," she mumbled, standing also. "Sure." He seemed to deflate with relief and she hid a frown as she gathered her law books on the coffee table. They sat on opposite ends of the couch as she took out a legal pad and pen. When he eyed her writing utensils curiously she shrugged.

"Sometimes we work around muggles; we have to be very careful. That and it's easier to write furiously when you don't have to bother with ink. I wish I had used pens when we were at school, would have saved me a lot of grief." He nodded in response and didn't answer. Apparently small talk wasn't what he had in mind tonight.

"So, how do you want to do this?" He asked, not looking at her. She frowned noticeably this time as he avoided her eyes.

"Well," she said slowly, thinking hard. "They only found a finger of Peter?" The werewolf stilled at his old friends name.

"Yes," he said, disgust bleeding through his simple word. "They've given him Order of Merlin: First Class, as well. Clearly I'm the only one that wants to believe Sirius is innocent and Wormtail is the murderer."

"You're the only one that wants to _prove _he's innocent, Rem," Jaida said gently. He still wouldn't look at her. "I'm sure everyone else _hopes_ he wasn't the one that killed—"

"Please don't call me that." Remus interrupted quickly, finally meeting her gaze. His eyes were desperate and sad.

"Call you what?"

"Rem…" Jaida stared at him, unsure of his intentions. His face contorted into one of a man who had no one to love. "Please, Jaida, I can't stand it. I can barely stand being near you, hearing your voice, smelling your perfume…" he took a deep breath to steady himself as Jaida froze and listened to his words. "Please don't make this harder than it already is."

Jaida stared at him hard as she processed his words. "Remus, are you sure about this?" He blinked at her; that obviously wasn't what he was expecting her to say.

"Am I sure about what?"

Her piercing blue eyes bored into his. "Are you sure about us working together? Because it doesn't sound like you're okay with this."

Apparently he wasn't planning on answering, because instead of replying he stood up and walked to her bookshelf and started reading the numerous titles.

"Why did you do it?" He turned to her finally, and she was mortified to see tears shining in his eyes. "I know you, Jaida. I know you better than you know yourself, and I know you were lying that day after graduation. Tell me the truth," he pleaded with her. "Why did you do it?"

She didn't answer him but just looked at her hands folded in her lap. If she had known he was going to ask her _that_, she wouldn't have invited him over. He seemed patient to wait though, he just stared that adorable stare as she tried to avoid the inevitable.

"You would never understand," she whispered desperately. "There's no way you would understand…"

"Try me." His voice was harsher than she expected. But hey, what _had _she expected from him? _Not this, _she told herself truthfully.

"I think you should leave," she said quietly, all the while screaming _no no no no no _in her head.

She didn't look up as her front door clicked shut.

* * *

"_Are you…did you just…what?" _

"_I am so very sorry, Ms. Durand. I wish there was something I could do."_

"_But how is that even possible?! It just…went away?!" Tears were streaming down Jaida's face as she gripped the chair to steady herself. She glared up at the kind face looking pityingly down at her._

"_Sometimes there isn't a reason for the awful things that happen to us," the motherly healer murmured soothingly. Jaida was too angry to register her kind words._

"_What are the chances I can get pregnant again?" Jaida asked quietly, clenching her jaw._

"_Very good, I would say. Plenty of women who have miscarriages go on to have perfectly healthy—" before she could finish her sentence, Jaida had stormed out of the office._

* * *

Remus apparated home quickly and just barely avoided splinching himself; as he let himself into his flat, he realized that his clothes and skin smelled like Jaida. He groaned as he inhaled the sweet perfume, his canine nose acutely aware of each individual attribute. Instead of showering immediately, like he probably should have, he savored the delicate blend of lavender and vanilla that had grown almost foreign to him. He welcomed the scent as he would after they had made love and flashes of their nights together flooded his mind as he remembered how the scent of Jaida would linger on his skin for hours afterward.

_Stop it, _he told himself harshly, trying to rid himself of the tingling sensation that had taken over his body. _I can't go back there; I can't put myself through that again. I don't love her anymore. She doesn't love _me _anymore. It's over. Forever. _Still, even as he forced himself to believe, he stared at the phone lying there silently in its cradle, willing it to ring.

* * *

After Remus left, Jaida allowed herself to sob uncontrollably for over an hour before she willed herself to start working on her case for the next morning. Wiping her eyes and sniffing loudly, she pulled a heavy law book forward as she reviewed her notes from earlier that day. As she tried futilely to concentrate, she realized that somehow Remus' scent had made its way into her clothes and skin. She inhaled deeply as she reminisced about their time together before giving herself a shake and throwing the notebook aside in frustration.

_Stupid. _She told herself over and over again as she walked slowly towards her shower. She needed to get rid of his scent. _Now. _She was going to go mad just sitting there trying to smell the musky fragrance. Slipping off her clothes she stepped into the warm spray and was once again reminded of the time she and Remus had snuck into the prefects' bathrooms late at night to bathe together.

"Stop it!" she growled aloud, massaging her scalp a little harder than necessary. "Move on! Stop thinking about him!" Rinsing her hair carelessly she flipped off the shower and dried herself off, getting ready for bed. Even as she told herself that she wasn't in love with Remus anymore, she found her eyes continually drifting to the phone, willing it to ring.

* * *

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter, but I thought it was important to portray how Jaida and Remus acted differently with the same situation. Hope you enjoyed, I'd love feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so irritated with these characters. They need to get over themselves and call each other!!**

**;)**

* * *

_What did I dream?  
I do not know;  
The fragments fly like chaff.  
Yet strange my mind  
Was tickled so,  
I cannot help but laugh._

* * *

"Merde!" **(Shit!) **Jaida cursed as she slammed the door to her office and threw her files onto the cluttered desk within it. Muttering a spell under her breath and waving her wind slightly, a cup of steaming tea appeared next to her. She sat down behind the oak desk as a small memo flew in through the crack underneath the door and hovered around her head, bouncing off the top of it until she reached up and grabbed it furiously. She knew who it was from immediately; it was hard to mistake that familiar script and fold. Reading the crisp, white paper quickly, she stood up with a soft sigh and walked back out her door.

The office door of Jean Appoline was extremely intimidating. Embossed with the seal of Themis Incorporated, the tinted window had blinds that were continually drawn and a brass knocker in the shape of a gavel that one _must_ use were they to try and reach the owner of said office. Straightening her suit jacket, Jaida hesitantly reached up and grabbed the cold knocker, letting it swing back to its holding place with a loud _thud._

"Entrez," a sharp voice called from within. **(Come in. **_**formal**_**) **

"Vous vouliez me voir, monsieur?" Jaida asked cautiously, letting herself into the large office and closing the door behind her. **(You wanted to see me, sir?) **

"Oui. Miss Durand, I've heard a rumor that you lost the appeal this morning." Appoline's cold eyes stared at her unfeelingly under his thick glasses as he switched automatically into English. Even when he was upset with her, he was courteous.

"Yes, sir." Was all Jaida could muster. She felt extremely insignificant in this expansive office and began to sense what it is her boss wanted to talk to her about.

"Miss Durand, you are aware, I'm sure, of how important of a case this was for Themis Incorporated. I believe we had a similar conversation not that long ago after your tardiness from a hearing proved to be problematic. In fact, in that conversation, you assured me that this caseload was _not_ going to be an issue for you. Am I recalling that meeting correctly?" Sitting there in his dark, professional suit he opted to wear instead of wizards' robes, he looked more like the President of a country than of a law firm. If it weren't for the various wizarding objects spread around the room and the wand poking out of his inside pocket, the office could have belonged to a muggle lawyer and not a wizarding one.

"Sir, I apologize if my effort on this case has seemed below par but I assure you that I have put all I can into this case." Jaida tried to take a deep breath and steady her voice which was rapidly becoming hoarse and teary. "The loss of the appeal this morning was unfortunate and unexpected. The case load I have acquired lately has definitely _not _been unmanageable." She gulped slightly as he stared at her unrelenting. "I'll admit that there have been some…personal matters that have distracted me as of late…"

Appoline merely continued to stare at her. "Mademoiselle," his eyes seemed to soften just the tiniest bit and hope filled Jaida from the inside out. "I understand that, during your time here at Themis Incorporated, you have had some life-changing disasters occur. And yet, even while dealing with the death of your parents, you seemed to try _harder, _to say the least. What has changed from last week?"

But Jaida couldn't answer. Truthfully, _she_ didn't even fully understand why her meeting with Remus had shaken her so hard. She was barely sleeping and eating and she was easily distracted, finding it extremely difficult to concentrate on a case when she felt like her heart was breaking all over again. How could she convey that to her boss without sounding like a love-sick teenager? _Which you pretty much are, _Jaida reminded herself harshly.

Appoline sighed and yanked Jaida from her thoughts. As he straightened up in his chair and took off his glasses, he suddenly looked more like an old man making a difficult decision than her usually unsympathetic boss.

"Jaida," he began. Jaida suddenly felt a sense of dread. He had _never _called her by her first name. _Never. _The dark sound of his voice could only mean something bad, and she wasn't looking forward to hearing it. "I am going to request that you take some time off."

Jaida's mouth fell open. "Sir—!"

"Yes, Jaida." He interrupted quickly, "you haven't taken any time off since you began working here, even for personal matters. I am demanding that you take a leave of absence until your personal matters have been solved. If you would like, it can be considered a medical leave of absence so you will be paid for your time off."

Jaida couldn't believe it. A _leave of absence_?! What was going on here?! Why on earth would her boss _demand _she take a leave of absence?! Was her work so poor they couldn't afford to have her on cases anymore? No, they would have just fired her if that was the case. But why bother lying to say it was for medical reasons just to get her paid? A tiny cough from her boss caused her to look up at his face. He was smirking slightly, as if he was reading her thoughts.

"What is your answer, Miss Durand?" He was back to business.

"I—I accept, sir. How long of an absence shall I…" she was unsure how to phrase her question. After all, she wasn't taking this vacation willingly. He smiled slightly at her discomfort.

"As long as you'd like, Miss Durand. I am going to trust your judgment on when you'll be ready to return to your job."

_Yeah, like you trusted my judgment on whether or not I could take a leave of absence? _"Of course, sir. Thank you. Is that all?" She couldn't help but feel a little slighted and struggled to take the rudeness out of her tone. His eyes were cold again when he replied.

"Oui, c'est tout. Bonne journée, Miss Durand." **(Yes, that's all. Good day, Miss Durand.) **

"Au revoir, M. Appoline," **(Goodbye, Mr. Appoline) **Jaida muttered, slightly crossly, as she crossed the office and closed the door behind her once again. Greeting several of her peers with halfhearted well wishes and completely fake sincerity, Jaida decided to start her _leave of absence _(ugh, she couldn't even _think _the phrase without cringing) immediately. Packing up her bare necessities in her thin black briefcase (a gift, funnily enough, from Sirius when she had gotten the job and just _had _to tell someone about it) and apparated home.

The rest of the day was a quiet affair; Jaida proceeded to punch her pillows as hard as she possibly could and break quite a few plates, repair them with her wand and then break them again, and sulk in the corner for a few hours. After she had sufficiently tired herself out and released all of her anger on her unsuspecting china, she accepted the fact that she had indeed screwed up an important case and deserved some sort of punishment. _Only _you_ would think vacation was a punishment _Jaida reminded herself, laughing slightly.

"Well," she murmured aloud to her empty flat. "What else is there to do but free Sirius from prison?"

* * *

_The first time they had made love, it was pretty much a disaster. Jaida hadn't been expecting the pain and Remus hadn't been expecting the extremely quick reaction he had to the feel of her body underneath him, around him, everywhere. It had been over before it started and they stared at one another for a moment before either of them could speak._

"_Did I hurt you?" Remus asked quietly, brushing her hair away from her forehead lovingly. She nodded slightly and he reddened, ashamed. He had tried to be gentle. Merlin, he had tried. But the anticipation had been too great for even the controlled werewolf to restrain himself. As the two seventeen year olds laid in the four poster bed together, curled up in an embrace, each one contemplated their next move. _

"_I'm okay," Jaida replied, a little late. She was feeling better now, the stinging had stopped and she was still turned on as hell, longing for him to be inside of her again. He sensed her longing and kissed her deeply, moving on top of her once more. Sliding into her in one fluid motion, she moaned into his mouth and urged him forward. They moved in unison and, as they reached their mutual climax, both of them thought at the same time _this feels so right.

* * *

Nursing a hot cup of much deserved coffee, Remus was lying in bed trying to recover from the recent full moon. It was so much harder now, without his mates around to help him. Even after school had ended at least one of them had come round to help him out and keep him company; now, he had nobody. It was times like this that he realized how truly alone in the world he was and, glancing warily at the clock, he realized how much he truly missed Jaida.

For five years they were inseparable and for three (starting fifth year) they had even slept in the same bed. Though it wasn't until seventh year they had actually made love, he adored the feeling of her little body curling against his, burying his face in her hair and sharing warmth on a cold winter's eve. They would lie awake for hours after making love, talking and kissing and planning for their future together. When she had unexpectedly ended their relationship, he was, to say the least, completely taken aback. He was _certain_ she had been lying and would come to him later to plead for forgiveness. But she had never come, and that was the most depressing thing…he waited for her for four long yearsand still _he _was the one to seek _her _out after all that time. He knew that Lily and Sirius had kept in contact with her and even Dumbledore spoke to her more than he did.

She broke his heart; that was no secret. The searing, white-hot, indescribable pain had lingered for years and had only recently begun to heal. He was completely unable to see anyone else romantically and couldn't even bring himself to go out on weekends with his friends: it just hurt too much. Jaida had been such a major, maybe even the most important, person in his life for so long that _everything _reminded him of her.

But after a while, he stopped expecting to see her at his door, stopped waiting for the phone to ring, stopped looking around in shops and restaurants for her. When he picked up the phone, he no longer believed her voice would sound from the other end; he had given up hope that she still loved him and pined for him the way he loved and pined for her. He had learned to accept a long time ago that she wasn't going to be a part of his life, not anymore.

So you can imagine his surprise when the phone rang that cold March evening and he picked it up, expecting an advertisement for gutter cleaners or a machine asking him about the latest political candidate, he heard the one voice he wanted to hear the most and the least.

"Hey, Rem…us," Jaida's breathy voice greeted him, and he noted how she stuttered over his name.

"…Jaida?"

"Yeah, it's me. How are you?" Remus was confused. Didn't their last conversation end with her asking him to leave her apartment?

"I'm okay, how are you?"

She paused. "You don't sound okay. The full moon was last night, wasn't it? Are you all right?"

_Damn. _After all these years, she could still read his voice without seeing his face. "Yeah, just a little sore. It's harder now without…" he couldn't finish his sentence. "So what's up?" he tried to take the annoyance out of his voice, but it was hard. She refuses to tell him why she abruptly ended their happy relationship, tells him to leave her apartment, doesn't speak to him for days, and then calls him and wants to chat about the full moon?

"I got fired from my job." She answered bluntly.

"You got fired from your—what? You got fired?!"

"Well, not really. Sort of. I'm being punished by my boss for screwing up an important case." Her voice was soft but he could hear the anger behind her words.

"What's he punishing you with?" Remus couldn't believe it; what had changed in the past few days to make her deserve punishment? _We had our argument a few days ago…maybe she was upset about that and it distracted her…_he thought to himself. But then he realized what he was thinking. _Yeah, like I mean that much to her. She probably just—_

"He's forcing me to take a leave of absence." She spat out the words, interrupting his thoughts. He paused for a moment before answering.

"Are you getting paid?"

"Yeah."

Remus frowned. "Only you would think that was a punishment, Jade." Jaida laughed and Remus thought he was going to pass out. The sound of her laugh sent more memories flooding into his mind and he remembered how much he completely adored her laugh.

"You're probably right. But, I figured since now I have all this free time, we could…" she paused suggestively and he could barely believe his ears. "…work on getting Sirius out of Azkaban?"

_Oh. _"I dunno, Jade," Remus hedged, stalling for time as he thought this through. He found it slightly humorous how the roles had been switched over the past few days. "That didn't work out so well last time…"

"I'm sorry about that." Jaida responded immediately, abruptly. Remus blinked, and then smiled. She really would never change. "That was totally stupid. You were completely justified in asking those questions I just…can we just focus on getting Sirius free and then maybe we can talk about that stuff? I've learned from experience that the only way to solve law cases is to avoid getting emotionally involved."

Well, frankly, to Remus that sounded pretty impossible. "Jade, this _is _going to be emotional. There's no way to not get emotionally involved with this one. Sirius was our best mate and so was Peter…and the two of us working together…"

"Please, Remus," Jaida pleaded, and Remus froze. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists; the sound of her pleading with him was quickly breaking his resolve.

"Jaida—"

"_Please_."

Remus took a deep breath, and then made the decision that would change their lives forever. "Okay."

* * *

**A/N: How'd you like it? Drop a note and let me know! :D C'mon, it was kinda long today! Just for you! (points) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Mmmmmhmmmmm…yeah, sorry about the wait!**

**This chapter is dedicated to ABBA, who allowed me to butcher their lyrics as I wrote this chapter. **_**Voulez Vous**_** indeed.**

**Do they have Ace Hardware's in England? Oh well, they do now! Just pretend.**

* * *

_A wise old owl sat in an oak,  
The more he heard, the less he spoke;  
The less he spoke, the more he heard;  
Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?_

* * *

"_Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" The deep voice called as Jaida and Lily hurriedly made their way off the train. "Firs' years, follow me!"_

"_Come on, Lily! You're taking forever!" Jaida laughed lightly as she gripped her friends' hand tightly. Walking over to the massive being calling them closer, a group of four boys cut in front of them, causing them to stumble._

"_Watch it, jerk!" Lily exclaimed passionately, whipping her red hair over her shoulder as she talked._

"_Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was go—" The dark brown haired boy started to explain, but he cut off abruptly, his eyes going wide as he took in who he was talking to. "Hello," he added, his voice several octaves lower, an attempt at sounding sexy, Jaida was sure. He reached up to tousle his hair, causing it to stand up straight in the back._

"_Yeah, I'm sure you were _so _distracted trying to walk in a straight line." Lily hissed, and Jaida was surprised at her tone; her friend was usually moderately passive and kind—she was acting quite strange. The boys' eyes widened even further and he opened his mouth to reply but Jaida cut him off._

"_C'mon, Lil," Jaida interjected quickly. "Let's get a good seat, yeah?" The last thing the first years needed was to start a fight before they've even seen the castle. Grabbing her friend by the collar she tried to maneuver her way away from the four boys while still observing them. Once they had reached the towering man, who introduced himself as Hagrid, Jaida allowed herself to study the foursome they had left behind._

_The one who had flirted shamelessly with Lily was, even for an eleven year old, pretty cute. His dark brown hair was shaggy enough for him to run his hands through it, intentionally making it even messier. The one standing next to him had a deer-in-the-headlights look to him; slightly pudgy and blonde, he looked up adoringly at the other, extremely handsome, boy who was punching the first on the shoulder. However, the one that had Jaida's attention was the fourth boy…the light brown haired one holding a book she had been meaning to read. It wasn't his looks that caught her attention, though. It was how he looked the way she felt on the inside…scarred from the past._

* * *

"The first thing we have to do," Jaida said, dropping her law books on Remus' cluttered table, "is figure out what our strategy is going to be. Are we going to try and prove that Peter is still alive or try and prove that Peter was the real secret-keeper?"

"Why would us proving he was the secret-keeper help? That doesn't mean that Sirius wasn't the one to blow up the street." Remus' eyes were dark as he stared at Jaida who was sucking on her pen cap absent-mindedly.

"Well, was he put in prison for blowing up the muggles or following Voldemort?"

"I actually have no idea. Both?"

"Maybe we should find out what he was actually charged with before we claim it was wrong."

"You think?" They both jumped when the phone rang, and Remus stretched out his hand to answer it. "Hello?" he frowned when he heard the voice on the other end, and his frown deepened as the person continued talking. Jaida stared at him, trying to read his expression. "Well, when is he going to get in?" he sighed and it was Jaida's turn to frown. "Yeah, I'll be right there. Bye."

"What was that about?" Jaida asked as he hung up the phone and walked to the other end of the flat.

"That was my boss," he answered from behind a closed door. "It seems another employee decided not to show up to work today and he wants me to work until the next shift." He came out in wizards' robes and stowed his wand in one of the pockets. "I'm really sorry, this was completely unexpected."

"Oh…" was all she could reply. He was leaving? "Well, I'll just get my things…"

"No, no," he said quickly. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You can stay here, I'll only be a few hours and then we can continue."

"That's okay; you can just call me when you get back—"

"Stay here," Remus pleaded. His tone took her by surprise; he wanted her to stay? "Stay here and wait for me, please. I'll be back by six at the latest. Please?" Jaida sighed as the pathetic look on his face.

"Are you sure you should be working? The full moon was just last night, you shouldn't be up and about…" he smiled a sad smile at her words.

"I don't really have the luxury of taking a break," he answered slowly. "Being a werewolf limits my career opportunities pretty severely. I take what I can get; this month it happens to be a book store. It's only a matter of time before someone looks closer at my résumé and fires me." He sighed again and walked to the door. Once he was convinced she wasn't moving from the couch, he said a quick goodbye and apparated away.

Jaida frowned as she pondered over his words. She had changed a lot since she had left school, and clearly so had he. He was slightly bitter about his condition when she last knew him, but this hopelessness was new to her; when had he gotten so tired? She still felt like a teenager compared to him; when had he gotten so old? Clearly, the Order had affected him in ways it had not affected her and she felt a wave of guilt flow over her as she remembered the way she had ended the relationship. Sure, _she _knew her reasons for breaking up with him, and they had seemed like perfectly good reasons…but _he _had no idea. And this entire time while she had been focusing on other things, he had been wondering why yet another person had left him, what he had done to deserve her actions.

Cursing under her breath, Jaida made up her mind once more. Standing up and taking in the tiny flat she smiled grimly and apparated away. Her destination? Ace Hardware.

* * *

"_Stop it! That tickles!" Jaida squealed as Remus laughed and released her feet that he had been rubbing. They were sitting in the common room, lounging on the couch in front of the fire one cold January evening. Sirius and James were sitting on opposite sides of the table in the arm chairs, having a staring contest. Peter was building a house of cards, made ever more interesting because he was using exploding snap cards. _

_Seeing her sitting there, laughing, Remus took in his girlfriend of one year. He was fourteen, sure, but something about this girl lying with her feet in his lap, furiously reading one of her many books, made him tingle from the inside out. He knew it was more than hormones; it _had _to be. He knew in that instant, right as she flipped the page and sighed happily at the words, that he loved her. Now the only problem was how to tell her._

* * *

When Remus apparated back to his flat, he thought he had gone to the wrong apartment. Staring around him in awe, he took in the sight of his thoroughly changed flat, wondering what on earth had happened to it. The previously white walls of the living room were now a soft, soothing blue. The carpet looked a lot cleaner than when he had left, and a new blue shag rug had found its way underneath his sparkling coffee table. There were crisp white shelves hanging on the walls with pictures donned upon them, and his old friends grinned at him and waved in the small frame. Fresh flowers were placed in matching vases all around the room, and new pieces of art were hanging on the newly painted walls.

"Is it okay?" A small voice asked from behind him. Turning around in alarm, Remus saw Jaida standing in the doorway to the kitchen, which, to his confusion, was also a new color.

"How…what…who…" he stuttered awkwardly.

"I thought that if we were going to be spending so much time here, I would make it a little more livable." She answered his confused question quietly. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, I just thought…" she stared at her feet and he felt his heart tighten at her compassion.

"Merlin, Jade," he breathed, and her head shot up to take in his expression. A grin slowly formed on his face. "It's wonderful. How in the world did you do this so quickly?"

"I bewitched the paint brushes to paint in the different rooms," she explained eagerly, satisfied that he wasn't going to curse her. "And I picked up the shelves and other supplies from a muggle hardware store. Then I went to a department store for the frames and other decorations!" She grinned back at him as he peered into the bright green kitchen and saw that it had been transformed more drastically than the living room. Now it was heavily equipped with new cooking supplies and a nice smelling indoor herb garden above the sink.

"Jade," he said slowly as he took it all in. "Jade, I can't possibly accept this. This must have cost you a _fortune—"_

"No, I promise, I was careful!" she interjected quickly. "I barely spent any money, and I had a lot of store credit from the department store, so I barely spent—"

But she was cut off by his arms encircling her body and pulling her close in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered into her hair as he crushed his body to hers. "Thank you so much." She smiled again and hugged back.

"You're very welcome. I was the least I could do."

"What do you mean?" He pulled away from her slowly, but didn't let his arms drop.

"Well, you seemed pretty miserable," she admitted reluctantly. "And I thought that maybe I was part of the reason for that. That, and this place needed a little color; I don't know how you lived with those white walls!"

"I haven't exactly had a lot of money to redecorate," Remus chuckled dryly. "And…the pictures?" Jaida tensed up and pulled further away from him to meet his eyes.

"I…I took the liberty to…" she blushed as she answered. "I went through the boxes in your room. _Please _don't be mad! I promise I didn't go through all of your stuff, just those boxes in the closet because I thought they might be pictures and things, and I was right. So I took out a select few and put them in frames. I thought that they would inspire us to free Sirius." She finished even quieter than she had started, thinking he would be furious at her.

Surprisingly, he wasn't. He had expected himself to be angry that she had invaded his privacy and gone through his things, but he was only slightly embarrassed that she had seen his messy room. "I'm not mad," he answered, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes again. "I am so grateful for you, Jaida," his voice was soft and calm. "I don't know how I can ever repay you." She grinned cheekily at his statement.

"Do you want to see the bedroom? I've redone it as well." He nodded and she bounded down the hallway into the bedroom, giggling like a little girl. Seeing her so blissfully happy, he knew he was in trouble; he was still in madly, ridiculously in love with her.

_Merlin, _he buried his head in his hands as he followed her into the soft yellow bedroom. _What am I going to do? _

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know, it's impossible to paint three rooms (and a hallway) in only a few hours. I painted my house—I know how it works. But hey, these are wizards we're talking about! Let's just suspend belief and let the surprise be wonderful :)**

**Hope you enjoyed! I know it's been a while, so if I still have any readers I'd love some feedback!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've been painting my room the past week (and taking off the wallpaper) so I haven't had a computer...and because I'm not Jaida, I can't paint an entire house in one day. So sorry about the wait!**

* * *

_Cold and raw the north wind doth blow  
Bleak in the morning early,  
All the hills are covered with snow,  
And winters now come fairly._

* * *

"Have you done it?" Jaida asked anxiously as Remus walked into his flat. He looked exhausted, to say the least. He didn't ask why she was waiting for him before he even got home.

"Yes," he sighed. Jaida frowned at his downcast expression, knowing immediately how the greatly anticipated meeting had gone.

"And?" she dared to hope; he just looked at her.

"He pretty much called me a complete fool," Remus spat out, helping himself to a drink and slumping at the kitchen table. Jaida groaned and joined him at the table.

"Scrimgeour just ignored the evidence?" Jaida asked, her tone outraged. "Why are we the _only _goddamn people who believe he's innocent? How is it possible that we are the only fucking ones who don't see all the evidence against Sirius?!" She was ranting now, and Remus gave a loud sigh as she proceeded to speak in rapid French.

"Jade…"

"…et le Ministère! Bande de fous, the lot of them!" **(And the Ministry! Band of fools…)**

"Jade…" Remus tried again.

"…ne sont même pas _écouter_ les avocats! What's the world _coming _to?!" **(Don't even **_**listen **_**to the lawyers!)**

"Jade!" Remus finally yelled, causing her to look up in alarm and fall silent. He sighed again. "Jade, I don't think we're getting anywhere with this investigation. We've already talked to Dumbledore, Scrimgeour, Moody…" he growled in frustration. "I just don't think anyone is on our side with this. We can't put forth a good case if we don't have any witnesses who are willing to go against the Ministry." Jaida opened her mouth in disbelief.

"Are you telling me you think we should quit?" she asked quietly, venom dripping from every syllable. He looked up at her sadly, his scarred face looking older and wearier than ever before.

"I'm telling you I think we need to reevaluate what we're doing here. Either we're not going about this the right way or…" he trailed off looking despondent. "Nobody who could give any sort of testimony or rebut the evidence against him is alive anymore, Jaida. It just seems so hopeless…"

"You listen here, Remus Lupin," Jaida said sharply, standing up and pointing her finger at him, eyes flashing with anger. Remus was suddenly reminded of Minerva McGonagall, a very frightening mental image. "Do you think that we can just call it quits and that's that?! I thought you were a better person than that! I thought you _cared _more than that! What about Sirius?! What about James and Lily?! What about _me_?!"

"What the hell do you have to do with this?!" Remus shouted back, standing up so he was facing her. "Of course I care about Sirius! Of course I want to avenge Lily and James! But for Merlin's sake, Jaida! What the hell are we supposed to do?! Use people who weren't even around Sirius as witnesses? Make up stories about how he was innocent? The Ministry doesn't care about whether or not Sirius was a good guy! They have muggle witnesses and countless others who say that he was the Potter's secret keepers! How can we compete with that?!"

"That's what we're here to figure out, Remus! You think I wanted to do this? You think I wanted to come back and deal with all this shit you're putting on me, talking to people I happily left five years ago?" Jaida was fuming, hands on hips, glaring daggers at her ex-boyfriend. "I came back because I thought _you _had a plan to save Sirius! Why am I here, Remus? Why the hell am I here with you, working on a case you think is impossible to solve?!"

"Because I love you!" Remus roared, flinging his hands up in the air in fury. "Because after all these years I still fucking love you! And I can't get you out of my head, no matter what I do!" He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Jaida freeze before him. He quieted his voice now as he continued. "Because I thought that you would come back and remember all the things you loved about me and we could finally be happy."

"Remus, don't do this." Jaida said tightly, and he opened his eyes to stare at her.

"Because," he continued as if she hadn't spoken, his voice rising yet again. "Because everyone left me, even you! And maybe you're here because you recognize that, after all these years, you were an idiot to leave everyone that loves you behind! Why did you leave, Jaida? Why did you leave me and our future behind? You don't think I deserve to know why the woman I love left me for no apparent reason?"

"Remus, for Christ's sake, move on! This isn't about why I left—"

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE, JAIDA?! ANSWER ME!"

"BECAUSE I WAS PREGNANT!" Jaida screamed, then clapped her hand to her mouth, eyes widening in horror. _Shit shit shit shit shit _she thought to herself forcefully as Remus' face turned to an expression of shock. "I have to go," she muttered quickly, grabbing her purse and going to the door and this time he didn't try and stop her.

* * *

"_Mum, Dad," Remus stuttered as he stood before his parents at the front door of their house. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Jaida Durand. Jaida, these are my parents." He saw his mum's eyes widen in surprise and his dad had a look of confusion on his face as Jaida stepped forward slowly, hand extended._

"_It's a pleasure to meet you both," she murmured as they took her hand in turn, eyeing her oddly. "Remus had told me so much about you; thank you for having me for the holidays."_

"_It was our pleasure, dear," Remus' mum replied, recovering and ushering the young girl inside. "Please, come in, both of you. I'll show you where you're sleeping; I'm afraid I haven't had time to, uh…get your room ready." Remus heard Jaida say something in response as he looked at his father, who was frowning at him slightly._

"_Well this was certainly a shock, Remus," his dad said quietly. "You didn't think it necessary to tell us you were bringing a guest home for Christmas?"_

"_She isn't staying for the entire holiday," Remus said quickly. "Just until Christmas Eve. I thought I would surprise you two, you know?" He laughed awkwardly, shoving his hands into his pockets. His father exhaled loudly in response as the women came back down the stairs, talking animatedly. At least _they _were getting along. His dad stepped forward to greet the girl properly and led her into the kitchen. _At least they both recovered quickly, _Remus thought to himself as his mother walked towards him, eyes narrowed._

"_We'll talk about this later, young man," his mum hissed through clenched teeth as she shooed him towards the kitchen. "At least you've chosen a nice girl to date, not someone scary like all those girls Sirius talks about." His mother continued to tut as she focused on making dinner and Remus absent mindedly twisted a zipper on his jacket._

Well, _Remus thought as he watched his dad making bad jokes and Jaida giggled from the cutting board where she was helping his mum make dinner, _I could get used to this.

* * *

**A/N: It has to be short today for two reasons:**

**One, I really don't have time to write any more tonight—FFF, you see? (Forced Family Fun, for those who don't know.)**

**And two, I was really uninspired with this chapter…I'm waiting for the writing bug to come back and until it does, well…**

**Hope you enjoyed none-the-less!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewing—I really love all the feedback! Keep it up, s'il vous plaît? (puppy eyes)**

* * *

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_Sugar is sweet,_

_And so are you!_

* * *

"_Moony!" James hissed and Remus snapped back to attention, dragging his eyes from the other side of the room._

"_Mr. Lupin? The answer?" Professor Sinistra asked loudly, advancing towards him with a disapproving look on her face._

"_Er…" the third-year replied lamely, searching the textbook for a question he hadn't heard._

"_Try to stay with me here, Mr. Lupin. It isn't Halloween yet." She scowled at him lightly and proceeded with the lesson as Remus sighed heavily; it was so unlike him to lose focus on class._

"_Jeez, Moony, if Prongs or I had done that we would have gotten detention!" Sirius whispered, nudging his friend playfully. _

"_It helps when you actually _do _the homework, Pads," Remus murmured back, his eyes once again wandering to the other side of the room. "And being polite and respectful doesn't hurt either."_

"_Bah!" Sirius replied, laughing. "What's got your attention, oh-wofly-one?" He grinned impishly as he followed his friends' gaze. "Has some delicious little slice caught your eye?" _

"_Stop it, Pads," Remus muttered quickly, switching his gaze to focus on Sinistra._

"_Come on, tell me! No, actually, don't tell me. It's Alice, isn't it? Isn't it!" _

"_Shut _up, _Sirius!" _

"_Mary? It's Mary, right?"_

"_Sirius, I'm going to kick you in the shins if you don't stop," Remus warned in a low voice and Sirius promptly ignored him._

"_Oh, Merlin, Moony, it's not Lily, is it? _OW! _WHAT THE--_"

"_Detention, Mr. Black!" _

"_But Professor…!" As Sirius began to argue with the irritated professor, Remus let his attention wander once more. He watched as the young girl tugged on her friends' braid to get her attention and then lean forward to whisper in her ear; as the two giggled, his heart skipped a beat. How he longed to feel her silky, black hair run through his fingers, to gaze into those round, blue eyes…_

"_You should ask her out," a soft voice came from behind him. Remus whipped around to see Peter following his line of vision and nodding in the girls' direction. "She likes you too, you know."_

"_How did you…?" Remus stammered in disbelief at his blond haired friend._

"_Neither of you are very subtle," he replied. "And it's more interesting than listening in class." Remus just shook his head. He didn't even know that Peter knew a word like _subtle_, much less how to use it to convince him of something. _

_He turned in his chair once more to realize that class was over and, as he gathered up his books and quills, he watched Jaida Durand out of the corner of his eye. She flipped her waist-long hair over her shoulder impatiently as she called for her girlfriends to wait up._

"_Remus," yet another soft voice called to him._

"_Hey, Lily, what's up?"_

"_Remus, do you want to ask Jaida on a date?" His mouth dropped open in surprise as Lily stamped her foot impatiently._

"_What did—?"_

"_Just answer the question, Remus," Lily snapped, and Remus couldn't help but smile at the fiery girl his mate had his heart set on._

"_Yes, I do, but—"_

"_Well, meet me in the courtyard at eight o'clock tomorrow evening, okay?"_

"_Lily, what--?"_

"_Just be there!" She barked, and strode away to catch up with her friends. Remus sighed tiredly; he hadn't gotten much sleep last night, fretting over how to properly let Jaida know his feelings. Apparently, Lily had taken care of that for him._

"_What did Evans want?" James asked quickly, trying to conceal his annoyance that Remus had talked to his beloved._

"_Just asking me a question about class," Remus replied softly. "Or something like that."_

* * *

As Jaida walked slowly through the crowded muggle square full of peddlers and pedestrians, she realized she had no idea when or how her life had gotten so goddamn complicated. Among the din of voices she pondered what on Earth she was going to do.

_I should never have left him._

"Buy a purse, miss?"

_But he might have died! He was willingly putting himself in harms way. He could have so easily died._

"He told me he would call me back! Why didn't he call me back?"

_But he didn't die._

"So I was like, 'no!' and he was all, 'yeah.' and I was like 'are you serious?'"

_And now he's waiting for you… because he still loves you._

"Soft pretzels!"

_And I love him._

"What am I doing?" Jaida asked herself aloud, much to the alarm of several passer-bys. They peered at her quizzically as she continued to talk to herself. "He's the best thing that ever happened to me! Why would I leave him a second time? We can work this out! Can't we?" she stopped in her tracks, her thoughts bringing her to a halt. "I love him…" she said thoughtfully. "Oh, my God! I love him! I love him!" She turned to the nearest muggle who was staring at her in confusion. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and strode in the opposite direction, back towards Remus' flat.

Having arrived at the modest building, she entered the code she had long since memorized and entered the complex, ran up the stairs and knocked smartly on Remus' door. When no one answered after several minutes and frequent knocks, Jaida slumped to the floor dejectedly.

"That's okay, Rem," Jaida whispered, leaning her head against the wall. "I can wait."

* * *

"_Jaida, I_ love_ you."_

"_Nah, sounds too insistent, like you won't take no for an answer."_

"_Jaida, _I _love _you._"_

"_Now it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself that it's true."_

"Jaida, _I love you."_

"_Who else would you be talking to?"_

"_Well, Jesus, Pads! I've tried every combination of emphasis the past hour! What more do you want?!"_

"_Make me believe it, Moony! I need to believe that you love her more than anything else in the entire world, ever since you first laid eyes on her. That you want to spend the rest of your life with her…" Sirius trailed off romantically. Then he snapped out of it. "Make me believe you, damn it!"_

"_You're not really the one I'm trying to convince, Sirius." Remus rolled his eyes and tried standing in front of the mirror again, practicing his speech once more. "Jaida," he said emphatically. "Over the past couple of months I've realized something."_

"_I want. To shag you." James chimed in from his four-poster bed. Sirius sniggered and Remus glared as Peter started giggling uncontrollably and slipped from the bed._

"_Thank you, guys. You all are so much help."_

"_Aw, c'mon, Moony! Don't worry so much! Just say what comes natural and let your heart do the talking—she'll eat it up and you'll have yourself a happy girlfriend."_

"_Speaking from experience, Pads?"_

"_Remus?" a soft voice called from down the dormitory stairs. Remus blanched and his heart started beating frantically; Sirius and James sniggered again._

"_Have fun," winked James who made a shooing motion with his hands. _

"_Coming, Jade!" Remus' voice cracked as he replied to his girlfriend; straightening his shirt for the fifth time and shaking his hair so it didn't look 'not too messy but not too combed' according to Sirius, he somehow found himself walking down the stairs into the Common Room and stopped dead when he saw his love standing there, waiting for _him.

"_You ready?" Jaida asked quietly, smiling at him fondly. She looked positively radiant with her hair combed back in a fancy way and the sparkly skirt she bought precisely for this occasion. _

"_I love you," Remus blurted out, then clapped his hand over his mouth as Jaida's eyes widened in shock. "Fuck, I didn't mean to say that. I mean, I meant it, of course. But I didn't _mean _it. I mean, I MEANT it, just not—" But he was cut off when Jaida strode forward and pressed her lips firmly against his. Breaking apart a moment later, she ruffled his hair lovingly._

"_I love you, too, Remus."_

* * *

_Pregnant. _

The word chilled him to the bone and warmed him through at the same time. Pacing his flat earlier had done nothing to calm his rage so he had made his way to a muggle square to figure out what the _hell _he was going to do. He still couldn't wrap his head around it; Jaida, _his _Jaida, was pregnant with their child when she had broken up with him. Thoughts were darting through his mind as he battled his way through the sea of muggles.

_Where's the baby now? There's no way she's had it all this time…she would have said something…or needed to go check on it or something. Did she give it up for adoption?_

"You should have _seen _the look she gave me! It's not like a murdered her boyfriend, I just slept with him!"

_How could she possibly keep something like that from me? Where did our relationship go wrong? I thought we were happy in love and not only does she lie about her reason to break up with me, she doesn't bother to tell me she's pregnant with our child._

"Ice cream! Twelve flavors!"

_She should have known I would have done anything for her. I still would do anything for her! I would have helped her raise the baby. I would have married her in an instant! I would have quit the Order!_

"Jimmy! Jimmy, wait up!"

_Would I have?_

"Ooo, look at that adorable skirt!"

_Yes._

"I still love her!" Remus shouted into the crowd; several people stopped and stared. They whispered behind their hands as he sprinted back to his flat so he could apparate to Jaida's apartment and beg her for an explanation and forgiveness. He slammed the door to his house shut and hopped in the shower, grabbed a cloak and disapparated on the spot. The soft _pop_ of him disapparating covered the sound of a small hand knocking on his door and a soft, melodic voice calling out his name.

* * *

**A/N: Hmmm, how did you like it? I promise that the characters will actually talk to each other in the next chapter! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Drop me a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Jesus, has it really been that long? Sorry… Well, I'm writing this chapter because I don't want to look at my AP English essay anymore…I might just scream. So chances are I'll be posting further chapters when I have something else to procrastinate on. This will be often. Onward!**

* * *

"Jade?" Remus knocked on the door insistently. "Jade, are you in there? C'mon, Jade, open the door, please? I need to talk to you." The impatient werewolf was met with silence. He sighed dejectedly. "Okay, honey," he whispered aloud. "I'll just stay here and wait for you."

"She's not there," a rough, accented voice called from behind him. Remus whirled around to see a tall man in a business suit approaching him, carrying himself with the ease and smugness of a politician.

"What?" Remus asked stupidly; a thousand thoughts were running through his head at once. _Who is this man? What does he want with Jaida? Is he a muggle? Does he live here? Why is he carrying that briefcase?_

"Mademoiselle Durand is not at home," the man repeated slowly, as if he was speaking to someone incredibly dim. "I have been knocking for almost an hour now and she is not answering her phone."

"What do you want with Jaida?" Remus asked bluntly. The man narrowed his eyes at him.

"My business with Miss Durand is none of your concern," he replied, fixing Remus with a look that could wilt daisies. "Though I do find your presence here suspicious; Miss Durand has never allowed anyone to call her _Jade._" Remus stared at the French man open-mouthed.

"Who are you?" As the strange gentleman opened his mouth to reply, a soft pop and a nearly silent sigh came from within the apartment. Remus began to beat his hand on the door. "Jaida!" He called insistently. The door swung open almost immediately and a tired looking Jaida stood in the doorway, gaping at him.

"What on earth are you doing here?!" She demanded loudly, but Remus ignored her question and strode forward, pulled her body roughly against his and pressed his lips firmly onto hers. She hesitated for just a moment, and then returned his embrace eagerly, moaning softly into his mouth. A discreet cough from behind them brought the couple back to earth and they broke apart, breathing heavily and smiling. Then Jaida realized who had been standing there the entire time and gasped.

"Monsieur Appoline?!"

* * *

"_C'mon, Lily, please?!"_

"_No."_

"_I'll do anything!"_

"_No."_

"_I'll do your laundry for a month!"_

"_You don't even do your own laundry, Jaida."_

"_Then I'll do your homework for two months!"_

"_That would be cheating."_

"_Augh, Lily, PLEASE?!" Jaida kneeled in front of her friend and looked into her emerald eyes pleadingly. "Please please please please please?"_

"_No."_

"_What will make you say yes?"_

"_Ask me a less ridiculous question."_

"_But you know you like him, Lily! Don't deny it!"_

"_Watch me."_

"_You're impossible!"_

"_Yes."_

"_Remus, tell Lily she should go out with James."_

_Remus sighed and looked up from the essay he was penning. "Lily, you should go out with James."_

"_Okay."_

"_Pl—wait what?"_

"_I said okay."_

"_How come you say okay to _him_?!" _

"_He asked nicer."_

_  
"Of all the ridiculous—"_

"_Do you want me to say no again, Jaida?" Jaida pressed her lips together and shook her head quickly. "Then shut up. I'm going to go get ready and then you can tell James we're all going to Hogsmeade together." The red-head walked calmly up the stairs and into the dormitories as Jaida turned to her boyfriend open-mouthed. _

"_How did you do that?" _

_Remus laughed and pressed his lips against hers lovingly. "Practice," he ran his hand down her face tenderly as he nibbled on her lower lip. His hands slipped lower seductively and he pulled her towards him on the couch, deepening the kiss and smiling._

"_Stop teasing," Jaida murmured against his kiss. "We have a double-date to go on."_

"_Remus! Remus, did she say yes?" James' voice called from the boys' dormitory stairs, getting louder as he bounded down the steps. "Remus! Oh, sorry," he smirked at the quickly separated couple, grinning like a fool._

"_Yes, James," Jaida assured him sweetly. "She agreed to go out with you…with us. Actually, I have to go get ready too. Be back in a few!"_

"_Jesus, Moony," James said as Jaida's long hair followed her up the steps. "I'm going on a date with Lily Evans." Remus grinned at his friend and packed away his school things._

"_Just try not to fuck it up, okay, Prongs?" James laughed and ruffled his hair. _

"_Yeah, I'll try to remember that."_

* * *

"Mr. Appoline, what are you doing here?" Jaida had managed to compose herself fairly quickly, Remus noticed. She stood straighter and held her hands gracefully in front of her; this must be the "lawyer Jaida" version of his beloved.

"I have come to check on you," the burly man said, almost embarrassed, as though seeing an employee out of the courtroom was an extremely intimate act. "I have called several times and you have not answered nor responded; I was worried." Jaida looked touched and she smiled at her boss. As she started to reply, he continued speaking: "Though it seems the reason for your absence is because of this young man," he gestured towards Remus, who felt completely bewildered. Jaida flushed and Appoline looked at her appraisingly. "Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," she murmured. "This is Remus Lupin," she gestured towards him and Remus stuck his hand out reluctantly. "Remus, this is my boss, Jean Appoline."

"A pleasure," Remus managed to get out.

"_Enchanté,_" Appoline gruffly replied, sizing Remus up warily. "Well," he turned back to Jaida who was smirking. "I assume all is well, then. _Au revoir_, mademoiselle, I'll speak with you another time." He turned to leave and Jaida started to panic.

"Wait, Monsieur!" She tugged on the sleeve of his blazer and he turned, slightly stunned at her physical contact. "Wait, we need your help."

"My help?" Asked a stunned Appoline. "What do you need my help with?"

"Yeah, Jade, what do we need his help with?" Remus asked tightly while thinking: _What is she going to ask him? _

"M. Appoline," Jaida said confidently, slowly, "We want to free Sirius Black from Azkaban."

* * *

"_Sirius, you can't be serious." Remus stared at his friend in shock._

"_I'm trying really hard right now not to make a joke."_

"_Padfoot…"_

"_Listen, Remus, I promise I won't try anything with her or take advantage of her or make her cheat on you or something! I just want to borrow her for a bit!" Sirius was lounging on his bed, casually discussing the topic as though he was reporting the weather. Remus growled low in his throat from across the room._

"_Sirius, under no circumstances am I going to allow this!"_

"_Allow what?" Jaida's voice sounded from the doorway. She grinned at the two friends and plopped herself down on Remus' four-poster. When neither one answered (Sirius looking to Remus to explain and Remus glaring daggers and Sirius), she sighed, annoyed, and pulled a book off the nightstand. "Allow what?"_

"_You tell her since it was your bright idea," Remus scowled at his furry pal._

"_I would like you to be my girlfriend, Jaida," Sirius said calmly. Jaida snorted in response. "But only for a few weeks. You see, the girls who follow me around have, unfortunately, become irksome and I'd like to get rid of a few."_

"_You want to get rid of the girls who follow you around and worship you like a sex god?" Jaida asked disbelievingly. _

_Sirius shook his head. "Only a few of them. The rest of them are free to continue worshipping," he grinned impishly. "So, what do you say? Wanna be my girlfriend?"_

"_Why me?" Jaida asked, tilting her head to the side and peering at the young marauder. "Of all the girls that don't worship you, why bother with the one that's known to be dating your mate? Won't it look suspicious?"_

"_That's what I said," Remus muttered._

"_Actually, you told me to fuck off, but close enough," Sirius replied smoothly. "Let me work out all the details, Jaida, just a yes or no will satisfy."_

"_A yes or no to what?" James walked into the room, broomstick slung over his shoulder. He looked handsomely windswept, or so he thought. Actually, he looked like he'd stuck his finger in an outlet._

"_A yes or no if Jaida will go out with me," Sirius said yet again. Jaida was red in the face from laughing while Remus eyed her strangely, like she was slowly going crazy and he was witnessing her progress._

"_Did you and Remus break up, Jaida? Why are you in our room then?" James asked curiously and Peter popped up behind his shoulder._

"_Jaida and Remus broke up? That blows!"_

"_Nobody broke up," Remus said firmly. "And Jaida isn't going to date Sirius, either. Regardless of his insane ambitions. Didn't you factor in the fact that every one of those crazy girls will hate Jaida and probably want to cause her harm? Then what are people going to say when you two "break up" and we immediately get back together?"_

"_I'm definitely aware of your opinion on this, Moony," Sirius went over to where Jaida was sitting and grasped his hands with hers, knelt in front of her and gave her the very best puppy eyes he could muster. Jaida snorted again._

"_I'm not going to go out with you, Sirius," she finally answered. Remus sighed with relief and Sirius slumped. "But I bet Lily will!" _

"_Hey!" James exclaimed. Sirius laughed._

"_That's a good idea, Jaida, thanks!" He stood and started to walk from the room with James pointing his finger accusingly. "I'm going to ask her right now! Coming, Prongs?" _

"_Padfoot, don't you dare!" James followed him from the dormitory and the two continued to bicker. Peter laughed and followed them out, presumably to continue worshipping them._

"_Alone at last," Remus murmured and went to sit by his girlfriend. Jaida scooted over to make room for him and leaned forward to kiss him. Just before their lips met, Remus asked, "Did you think about saying yes?" _

_Jaida laughed and swatted him on the shoulder. "Well, I was thinking about it…" Remus' eyes widened. "But torturing James is so much more fun, don't you think?" The two laughed in unison and came together once more, kissing passionately into the night._

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know it's been a long time. Do I still have any readers out there?? I've been feeling really uninspired with this fic, guys! I need some reassurance!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Err…I'm really sorry…**

* * *

"_Psst! Jaida!" Jaida heard the young marauders frantic voice and turned slightly in her chair, trying to avoid catching the professor's attention._

"_What, Sirius?" she hissed back, seeing him crouching outside the classroom door. He waved his hand frantically, gesturing for her to join him. His eyes were wide and Jaida thought she saw a hint of fear in them. Catching on quickly, she turned to face the front once more. She let out a false cough and saw Lily turn to her suspiciously. "Um, professor?" The ghost professor paused in his monotonous lecture, his opaque eyes gliding to meet hers._

"_Yes, Miss…Durint? What is it?" Lily prodded her in the side, asking for some explanation._

"_Professor Binns, I'm not feeling well. Can I go to the nurse?" She let out another fake cough rather pathetically He seemed to forget her questions almost immediately._

"_Yes, yes, go on." She nodded in thanks and gathered up her things, feeling Lily's eyes on her. _

"_Can I borrow your notes later?" she breathed to her red-haired friend. Seeing Lily nod confusedly, Jaida swung her heavy bag over her shoulder and skidded from the room, almost colliding with Sirius. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him, running down the ancient corridors._

"_Sirius!" Jaida said as soon as they were out of earshot, struggling to keep up with his athletic stride. "What on _earth_ is going on?!"_

"_It's Remus," Sirius said, not looking behind him. She stopped in her tracks and he turned to face her. "He's in the hospital wing."_

"_Remus?" Jaida whispered, stroking her boyfriend's hair out of his swollen and bruised eyes. She turned to face his friends, seeing James and Peter looking guilty and Sirius staring at her. "What happened?" she demanded. When no one answered, she glared fiercely. "If you lot won't tell me, I'll go ask Madame Pomfrey." She turned on her heel to leave and was stopped by James's strong grip._

"_He was…attacked." He said quietly, not meeting her eyes. "Pomfrey said he would be all right but we thought we should still get you because it's been a long time and he hasn't woken up yet. We thought maybe you could…" he trailed off desperately and her anger dissipated somewhat; regardless of his lame responses, he was honestly worried about his friend._

"_I don't think I have any way to wake him up that Madame Pomfrey doesn't know," she replied softly, gazing back down at her beaten and sleeping boyfriend._

"_He'd want you to be here when he wakes up," Peter interjected quietly from behind them. "Just sit with him for a little bit." Jaida nodded and Sirius, who was perched on the side of the hospital bed, observed her closely. _

"_Prongs, will you and Wormtail go to the kitchens?" he asked, and the two boys nodded, seeming to understand what their mate was trying to convey. Jaida seemed unaware of this exchange for she was once more running her hands gently down the sides of Remus' face. They left quickly, skiving away from Madame Pomfrey's office._

"_What really happened, Sirius?" Jaida turned to her boyfriend's best friend quizzically. "Please, tell me the truth. I deserve the truth."_

"_James wasn't lying, Jay," his use of her nickname is what made her aware of how grave the situation was. Sirius never called her Jay unless he was saying something she wouldn't like. "But I don't think it's our place to tell you. It's up to Remus to talk to you about this."_

"_You can't tell me anything?" she asked desperately._

"_Miss Durand, what are you doing here?" a sharp voice called from behind the pair. Madame Pomfrey was walking briskly up to Remus' bed. "Why aren't you in class?"_

"_I went to get her, Madame Pomfrey," Sirius said quickly, willing to take the blame. "I thought she should be here." The nurse narrowed her eyes at the dark haired boy, her expression contemplative. _

"_Yes, I suppose she should be," she admitted grudgingly. "But next time, Mr. Black, you can wait until _after _classes have ended to fetch her."_

"_Next time?!" Jaida inserted quickly. "How could this happen again?" Madame Pomfrey's eyes snapped up at the young girl. "Madame Pomfrey, you'll tell me the truth. What happened to Remus? He's covered from head to toe in bruises and cuts and abrasions…"_

"_I'm afraid it isn't my place to tell you, Miss Durand." Pomfrey said, tucking the scarred boy's blankets more snugly around him and checking his pulse. "That is between you and Mr. Lupin here. And Professor Dumbledore." She added as an afterthought._

"_Professor Dumbl—"_

"_Jade?" Jaida's head snapped around as Remus's hoarse voice whispered her name. She saw his eyes were open, barely, and his lips were moving, like he was speaking without making noise. _

"_Don't talk," she said at once, moving closer to him and placing her lips carefully on his forehead. "It's okay, Rem, you're in the hospital wing. Everything's going to be okay."_

* * *

**September.**

"That's it?"

"Oui, c'est tout." **(Yes, that's all.)**

"How can that be all?"

"Everything has an end, Miss Durand. This one just happened to happen sooner than you thought."

"How philosophical of you, Mr. Appoline."

"Shut up, Remus." But Jaida was smiling like a fool. With the steadfast help of her studious boss and the ambition of her (sort of boyfriend) friend, the trio had devised a nearly perfect plan to appeal for Sirius Black's release from Azkaban. Now the only thing they had left was to try and get a sympathetic judge. "So, have we contacted all of our witnesses? Let's make a list."

"Elmer Pines, a wizard who was a survivor of the curse that Sirius allegedly set off." Remus recited, reading from the list they had composed in the past months.

"Maggie DeVry, the woman who lived next to the Potter's when Sirius was living there. Bathilda Bagshot, who can talk about knowing James and Sirius," Jaida continued, thinking hard about how she would phrase her questions for the two women.

"Albus Dumbledore, because he's reliable," Remus said, a small smile gracing his scarred face. "And myself, of course. Though it'll be hard to rely on my help, no matter how concrete it is. Courts don't take well to 'dangerous half-breeds' trying to set their crazy, mass-murdering school mates free from prison."

"Don't sound so optimistic," Mr. Appoline muttered, checking something off on another long list they had penned. Quelqu'un d'autre?" **(Anyone else?) **

"Maybe Peter's mom?" Jaida asked, though they had been over this questions dozens of times.

"She's still hesitant," Remus answered. He had gone to the Pettigrew's house a few weeks ago with the idea that it hadn't been Sirius who killed her son. "Of course…" he hedged, and Jaida raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, we aren't trying to prove that Peter is guilty yet, right? So she can still testify for _Sirius_…"

"She's on the 'maybe' list along with Oscar Frome, who witnessed the mass murder along with Elmer Pines but whose memory is a little sketchy. That sounds pretty decent," Jaida finished, observing her legal pad with confidence. "I'll go down the Ministry tomorrow with Dumbledore and you, Mr. Appoline, to appeal for a trial and we'll see where that gets us, yes?"

"Oui." Appoline said firmly, standing up and folding his suit jacket over his shoulder. "The past six months have been very progressive, Miss Durand. I am confident that we will get your friend some justice, whether it is freedom or a lessened sentence. I will see you tomorrow, goodnight." He walked out the door and they heard a soft _pop_ that signaled his apparition.

Jaida walked back to the couch and sat down next to Remus, sliding into his embrace. Their relationship after that passionate kiss back in March was complicated. Officially, they were "dating" but unofficially they were engaged. Somehow they managed to pick up right where they had left off all those years ago, with plans for the future and talk of a family. Remus had been living at Jaida's apartment for the past few weeks, informally; his stuff was everywhere, anyway. However, just after that kiss, they had agreed not to pursue a serious relationship until after Sirius's trial. Weeks, months, years though it may be, this needed to take priority. Remus agreed hesitantly, worried about Jaida running away from him again.

Their conversation about her pregnancy had been surprisingly anti-climatic, for something so serious. She calmly explained her reasoning for hiding it from him and, though he was _very _angry and anxious, he understood where she was coming from. He found himself dreaming about what it would be like to have a child with the woman he had loved for so many years, how he would rub her growing belly, feeling the life inside of her. How proud he would be on the day of its birth, knowing he had helped to create such a miracle. He pushed his feelings and dreams aside, for the time being, knowing that Sirius's trial should indeed be first in line.

Remus pressed his lips softly against his love's temple, rubbing her back in gentle circles with his free hand. "What do you want for dinner?" Jaida asked quietly, her eyes closed. Remus smiled slightly, tickling her sides playfully.

"You, of course," Jaida giggled against his light touch and nuzzled tighter against him. For the first time in six years, they were truly happy.

* * *

"_Remus," Jaida panted as his strong hands ripped her skirt down to her ankles and pushed her none-too-gently into the four-poster bed. "Remus, we don't have time," she said, breathing heavy as he tugged her underwear away and started to undo his belt._

"_I'm going to explode, Jaida, I _need _you." He whispered in her ear, pressing his body even closer to hers. "Please," he growled, but he didn't wait for a response. Instead, he slid smoothly into her, and she gasped aloud in ecstasy. _

_She had been teasing him all day, in fact, driving him up-the-wall, I-need-to-have-you-right-now crazy in her flirty little skirt and lingering touches. It had been a few weeks since they had been together, N.E.W.T.'s were quickly approaching and the seventh years needed to use their spare time for studying, not shagging. This was too much for the young werewolf, however, and he needed to act on his primal instincts before the wolf inside him ravished her in the Great Hall. The pair had found themselves with a whole ten minutes of free time before their next class, and the marauder had seized the opportunity and dragged his girlfriend up to his dorm, pinned her against the wall and prepared himself to feel quite a bit more satisfied for his next tedious double lesson of Potions._

_As he brought them both quickly to the edge, he kissed her, hard, needing to be closer. And, reaching his limit, he grasped at her, needing her closer still. She obliged, wrapping her legs around him and holding tight, whimpering as she dropped from her cloud nine. _

"_I love you," Remus hissed as he finished, light exploding from behind his eyes. "I love you."_

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**I've decided to take requests! If any of you want to see a particular flashback, let me know in a review (hint hint!) and I'll write it! The story is wrapping up, but I'm thinking about doing a little epilogue of requested memories and flashbacks, just for kicks. Anyone game?**

**Thanks to those who reviewed ******** They all made me smile!**


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